The Boy and His Box
by Snorcackle
Summary: Even when the world falls down around him, the Doctor knows who will always be standing right by his side.


**AN:** So I see things all the time about how 'The Doctor will always love Rose more than River, Romana more than Rose, etc, etc,' but I think we all know who the Doctor _really_ loves the most. I don't own any of these characters. Also, a bit of the dialogue was stolen from "Rose." Enjoy!

* * *

It always boiled down to them.

He'd seen friends leave, he'd left them behind, he'd watched them die, but, in the end, the Doctor always knew they'd leave eventually. It had grown unsurprising. The only thing that still managed to surprise him, after all these years, was his TARDIS.

They had seen the universe –_universes_, the Doctor thought –and been through so much. Not once had the TARDIS complained to him, although, to be fair, she couldn't really. Was she really a _she_? The Doctor didn't know, but he liked to think she was.

In the end, he knew that he was safe inside her doors. The universe might be at danger at any given point, but, he was safe. His companions were safe. He tried to save all of them when he could, because they were, without a doubt, very important, but, in the end, the most important companion of all was his TARDIS. His beautiful, beautiful TARDIS.

He had just gone through the worst battle of them all, the Time War, but here he stood, safe, within his beautiful blue box. The Doctor leaned against the central console, noticing how his hands were beginning to emit a light. "Well, old girl, I guess it's time again." He smiled. He could still feel his long hair against the sides of his face. "I'm going to miss this. I rather liked being me. But, as long as you're you, I'll get by." He stroked the column in the middle and blew a kiss to all sides before light shot from his limbs and head.

As the effects of the regeneration wore off, he looked around. No damage, thank goodness. He would have nearly died again if he'd done anything to harm her. The TARDIS let out a soft hum from the central console.

The Doctor took it as a sign that the regeneration went rather well. "Thank you." His voice sounded different, slightly less formal. He looked down, and his hands were larger. "Fantastic." He didn't get a good look outside of that, though, because he knew that there were worlds to save. He couldn't take the time to examine how he looked, although he _did_ manage to find the time to change into clothes that were slightly more practical. No more frills, he thought. He needed to take business seriously. A leather blazer and a pair of jeans might do just the trick. After he changed, he had worlds to visit.

As it turned out, Earth needed his saving expertise more than most planets, as he found visit after visit, there was some brutal happening or another. The Kennedy assassination, the sinking of the Titanic, the explosion of the Krakatoa... It seemed like the planet was just a giant experiment gone wrong. Still, as long as he had his TARDIS, his trusty blue police box, nothing could possibly go wrong, for there stood the boy and his box, off to save the universe.

Then, it happened. The Nestene Consciousness invaded the planet. It was almost like another home to the Doctor, that stupid, stupid Earth. He took a deep breath and went off to save it once again.

He investigated everything around. The main problem seemed to be coming from central London –why was it _always_ London? Trying to disarm as many autons as he could, the Doctor took to the department stores.

The first one he tried to investigate proved fruitless. They didn't even _have_ mannequins –what sort of department store didn't have mannequins? Such a waste of time.

The next store, quite fortunately, did. As he waited for the shop to close, he hid in the storage area. The autons would be acting soon enough, and, as long as he waited for precisely the right moment, he would be able to stop the antics in at least one store, which was certainly better than none at all.

Of _course_ some blundering idiot needed to come in right then. "Wilson?" It was a woman's voice coming from the hall. "Wilson, I've got the lottery money."

Great, thought the Doctor. Glad you've got that. That's _definitely_ worth spoiling this entire operation.

"Wilson? You there? I can't hang about 'cause they're closing the shop." Good. Please, _don't_ hang about. "Wilson? Hello? Hello, Wilson, it's Rose," she called. "Hello?" The Doctor really wished she would stop saying that. "Wilson?" she asked, opening the door to the room where the mannequins were kept. Wonderful. The Doctor supposed he'd have to save her, too.

She turned on some lights. "Wilson? Wilson?" The door slammed behind her. Great. Just what he needed right now. "Is that someone mucking about? Who is it? You've got me, very funny. Right, I've got the joke! Who's idea was this? Is it Derek's? Is it? Derek, is this you?" The Doctor could hear her fall. Fine, he'd save her. If she was here, he might as well.

He popped out from his hiding place and gave her his hand. "Run!"

The Doctor took her to safety as he explained his plan. Good lord, she asked a lot of questions. Not bad, really, for a girl who was just nineteen. But still; she was asking too much when he was in a hurry.

He returned to his TARDIS in a state of distress. "Well, I've got some of them at least." The TARDIS could always tell what he was thinking. "I guess you're right. There are more out there. No more playing around."

As he scoured London for whatever clues he could find regarding the Nestene's whereabouts, he found that he could not help bumping in to that girl everywhere. It was like she was some sort of danger magnet, and, despite his telling her that none of this had anything to do with her, the Doctor felt very strongly that, perhaps, it all _did_ have something to do with her. This was only enforced by the TARDIS's delighted humming the moment Rose Tyler first step foot inside.

She was, admittedly, quite helpful when the Nestene almost stopped them. After the entire ordeal, he decided that she was worthy of a quick trip around all of time and space.

To his dismay, she declined, opting to take care of her mother instead. The Doctor closed the TARDIS doors behind him, sighing. As he approached the console, he could hear his beloved blue box humming. "Yeah, I know. I liked her, too. But we've still got each other, don't we?" He punched some buttons and pulled some levers to dematerialize. The TARDIS whined. "Well, if you _really_ think so, I guess we could go back. No, I didn't mention the bit about the time-travelling."

He quickly undid his mistake, landing a few seconds after he had departed. He flung the doors open. "By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?" This time he got her, making the TARDIS purr in delight.

Even with Rose Tyler aboard, though, things hadn't changed that much. The TARDIS still responded to him, and him alone. She brought him on travels through the world. She knew _exactly_ where he needed to be, even when he didn't.

Because, in the end, that's always what it boiled down to, wasn't it? The dreamer and his big blue box, off to see the universe.


End file.
